


The Iron Bull (Interlude II)

by therutherfordwife



Series: The Ailynn Lavellan Series [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 09:56:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6234124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therutherfordwife/pseuds/therutherfordwife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bull's training as a Ben-Hassrath means he spends a lot of time watching people. What does he see when he observes the Herald?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Iron Bull (Interlude II)

**Author's Note:**

> I actually am not quite sure how I feel about this, discovered I don't like writing Bull as much as Vivienne but he had the best pov to get certain info out. And I wrote words! Tada! :D

Bull watched the Herald spar with Grim. For a blind elf half the man’s size, she wasn’t half bad. A bit scrappy, but that wasn’t anything that couldn’t be trained out of her. Hardest part was going to be finding a fighting style that she could use that would let her handle herself. He winced as she got pinned face first in the ground, hearing the breath whoosh out of her from across the yard. _Another round down,_ he thought with a little shake of his head. To his surprise, however, she managed to somehow get a hand between her and Grim and a leg under herself and launched back. It wasn’t pretty, but it was pretty damn unexpected judging on the way Grim went flying. Herald had some neat tricks. Gave him some ideas for her training.

“Hey Krem, you see that move Herald just pulled on Grim?”

“Aye. Didn’t know she was that flexible. Hard trick to pull off on an attacker, that was.” Krem eyed the Herald appreciatively.

Bull rumbled in consideration. “You remember that guy who knocked you flat on your as in the Marches a few years ago?”

“Reiner? The Antivan who kept swearing he was Ferelden and then spent the next month forcing me to learn hand to hand with him?”

“Yeah. What do you think?” He nodded a horn at Ailynn, who was once more flying through the air.

Krem caught his meaning instantly and cocked his head at the thought. “I think it could work. She manages to get a hand on, she could do some serious damage without worrying about finding armor holes. That’s where she’s getting caught right now, when she has to figure out where her hands are and line everything up.” He was lost in thought for a moment. “Yeah, I think it would be good for her. I wouldn’t mind teaching her the basics, but we’re going to need someone like Reiner to get her some real training.”

Bull nodded. “That’s what I thought. I’ll talk to the Commander about it when he’s done letting her get pissed.”

Krem snorted. “I’ll leave you to it, then. She’s not much fun after round four.”

 

 

Bull caught sight of the Ailynn later that evening. She’d stormed by him after a shouting match with Varric, followed closely by Cullen. Interesting, the way those two got on. She seemed at once both more comfortable and more reserved around him than anyone else. It was like she was on the brink of doing something stupid, like she was on the verge of jumping off a cliff but didn’t know if the bottom had rocks or water. Holding herself back out of caution but longing for the thrill of flight.

When they’d returned, Cullen had been leading her by the arm. Bull’s eyes narrowed at that, and he snorted just loud enough to be heard as they walked by and was delighted to see her ears turn pink. She always reminded him of a Ben-Hassrath with reactions like that; she couldn’t see him, didn’t really have any way of knowing what was causing him to snort. But she undoubtedly did know; she would know because of the timing of his snort, the volume, and the fact that she hadn’t heard any other conversation near him nor anything of note in the immediate area. Always aware, she was. Paid closer attention to what was going on around her than almost anyone with eyes. He liked that. Thing was, she didn’t need the Commander’s help to get around. She probably knew her way around Haven better than anyone by now, and spent her days going to and fro throughout the town without a hand on her. It was only when she was with Cullen that she suddenly lost the ability to count corners and steps. Subtle. Not really his style, but he figured it was the best way to get to Cullen, if that was indeed a thought of hers.

He shook his head when they passed out of sight, settling back around the Charger’s fire while Dalish told stories of her greatest accomplishments with her “bow.” Strange how an arrow could electrocute a whole squad, but hey. She needed the illusion. Too much shit when before the Chargers for her to let it go.

 

It was nearing midnight when he next saw her. He was expecting it this time; she slept off and on throughout the day, often sleeping in far too late and staying awake long after the rest had gone to sleep. He’d known an old Tamassran who’d lost her sight and had started keeping a strange sleep schedule as well; maybe it had something to do with the fact that there was no difference to her perspective whether the sun was out or not. Grunting, he rose and joined her as she trailed slowly through Haven.

“How’s it going, Boss?”

“Bull. That way, I suppose,” she gestured vaguely out in direction they walked. Bull chuckled. “Is everyone sleeping?”

“Yeah. Almost midnight. We really ought to find a way for you to keep time, shouldn’t we?”

She smiled. “That would be useful. Then I’d maybe be able to keep a normal sleep schedule for a change, instead of wandering around and waking people up. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Nah. I was expecting you, actually. Wanted to ask you something about Kirkwall.”

Her lips pursed. Unlike anyone else, where he looked at their eyes for the best indication of their feelings, with Ailynn he watched her lips. He knew instantly that this would be a dangerous topic. Best go slowly.

“What do you want to know?”

“I heard your argument with Varric earlier, and I couldn’t help but wonder what you were doing in the city in the first place. Unusual for a Dalish to choose to live away from their clan, let alone in a place like Kirkwall.”

She relaxed incrementally. “I’d gone into the city with some others to trade and got separated. By the time I’d found someone to help me, it’d been almost three days and the clan had moved on. Cities are always dangerous for us, and we can’t afford to wait for a straggler when it could risk the whole clan. So I guess I just . . . got stuck, I suppose.” Bull’s eyes narrowed. She said it wistfully, as if she would have preferred that things were different, but the way she told the story?

Too easy. Too quick. In his opinion, not enough emotion.

Rehearsed.

“I see. But you found your clan again later, right? The Nightingale mentioned that your Keeper sent a rather insistent letter demanding you go back, that she’d sent you to the Conclave. What did she say about your time in Kirkwall?” This would be interesting. He watched her closely; how she reacted would tell him what he wanted to know.

A flinch. Small, caught quickly, but definitely there. She bit her lip at the obviously uncomfortable memory. “She was curious as to how I’d survived so long without aid. And furious that I’d abandoned the ci- . . . the _clan_. I left with others fleeing the mage rebellion and one of my travelling partners had heard of a Dalish clan nearby. My Keeper was beside herself, but I was too changed to stay and be content. She sent me to the Conclave because I had the most experience dealing with shems by then.” 

Abandoned the city. Not the clan, no, that was just a half-truth. She’d probably disappointed them somehow, and whatever had happened was because of Kirkwall and the fact that she’d left. She hadn’t been stuck in the city; she’d been planted. 

Huh. Seemed their Herald was a spy. Bull grinned.

The Inquisition got better by the second.


End file.
